


Meditations on a Mezzanine Meet-Cute

by sareli



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 11:14:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25848634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sareli/pseuds/sareli
Summary: Ziyal makes her first new friend on the station. Jake finds someone to talk to.
Relationships: Jake Sisko & Tora Ziyal
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> just something I've been playing with inspired by me watching the onaya episode and thinking about how great it would be if instead of Jake being preyed upon by a psionic vampire cougar woman and Ziyal being aged up for the sole purpose of being someone's beard they both... made a friend?? their own age?? I know it sounds kind of out there!! anyways this is very bare bones and in an ideal world I write more of this bc I've been seeing a lot of these two lately and I love the idea of them as the space!teen romcom that should have been but in case I never get around to it, I wanted to make sure it sees the light of day :)

"Odo, this is Tora Ziyal."

"Gul Dukat's daughter."

"That's right," says Ziyal, casting her eyes around the bustling Promenade, unsure of where to even begin taking things in. Her gaze lands on a young man perched against the railing across the upper level of the Promenade, partially veiled in shadow. He is almost completely still, as if posed for a sculpture, holding a PADD in one hand and a stylus in the other, the tip resting gently against his bottom lip in a clear indication of deep thought.

Ziyal nudges Nerys.

"Who is that?"

Nerys follows Ziyal's line of sight and chuckles gently when she sees him.

"That's Jake, he's the Captain's son."

"No wonder he looks so serious."

"Who, Jake? He's really very friendly. In fact, you should go say hello. I'm sure he would love to meet you."

Ziyal turns to Nerys, wide-eyed. "Now?"

"Why not? There aren't many people your age aboard the station, after all, especially now that his best friend is off at Starfleet Academy. Something tells me he'd be happy to have someone new to talk to."

"If you think so…"

Nerys smiles warmly at Ziyal.

"I do. Now go on over there and say hello."

Ziyal stands up straight and nods sharply, striking an uncanny image of her father for a fleeting moment. She holds her chin high as she walks over, not dropping one bit even as she approaches Jake’s shoulder.

"You're Jake, right?”

The boy turns to look at Ziyal, eyebrows quirked in confusion. His whole face is so funnily smooth, which seems to allow for a great deal of expression.

"That's right. How did you know my name?"

"Nerys told me," Ziyal says, gesturing back over her shoulder. "She said I should come say hello.”

Jake gives her a small, polite smile, but seems to be waiting for something. Ziyal feels her eyes go wide when she realizes what it is.

“Oh! I'm Tora Ziyal, by the way! Sorry, I almost forgot to introduce myself."

"It's nice to meet you, Ziyal. How long have you been on the station?"

"I just got here," she tells him. "With Nerys, actually. She thought it would be safer than living on a Bird of Prey with my father."

"Your father lives on a Bird of Prey?"

"Well, he… it's kind of a long story." Ziyal trails off sheepishly.

"I'd love to hear it sometime," says Jake, grinning broadly now. "I'm always on the lookout for good stories. I'm a writer."

He leans in somewhat conspiratorially as he says that last bit, and Ziyal has to suppress the urge to giggle at him.

"You're a writer? What have you written?"

Now it's Jake's turn to look sheepish. "Well, nothing much… yet! But I'll get to it, once I find the inspiration."

"Oh. That makes sense."

"Actually, that's what I'm doing right now. Looking for inspiration, I mean."

"Is that why you have that PADD?"

"Yes, that’s it exactly! I'm making character sketches."

"Character sketches?"

Jake frowns as he tries to come up with a way to explain.

"Oh! I know, here, let me show you," he says, waving a hand to get Ziyal to come look at something. "See all the people down there? All you have to do is pick one out at random, and then come up with a story for them."

"How do I know who to--"

"Don't think about it, just do it! Anyone who intrigues you."

Ziyal lands upon a monk walking side-by-side with Quark on the level below.

"How about him?"

"Ooh, good choice. Let's see… he's a monk—no! He's only _dressed_ like a monk. Really, he's a thief in disguise, trying to pull one over on an unsuspecting Ferengi…"

* * *

As they watch Ziyal’s retreating back, Odo turns to Kira with a quirked eyebrow.

"Out with it, Odo."

"Something tells me your concern for Jake's social life is far from the only reason you sent her over there."

Kira scoffs, rolls her eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Across the Promenade, Ziyal stops a short distance away from Jake, who turns upon noticing her presence.

" _Dukat's_ daughter? Befriending _Captain Sisko's_ son?"

"I just thought they'd get along, it shouldn't matter who their fathers are."

"Hm."

Ziyal steps the slightest bit closer, following the line of Jake's stylus with her eyes as he appears to describe something out-of-view to her.

"But if it'll make Dukat squirm then, well. I guess I'll just have to live with it."

Kira grins, and Odo can't quite help himself from returning a half-smile.

"Now, do you want to hear the story or not?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> pure, unadulterated tooth rot

"So… what do you like to do?"

Ziyal freezes mid-sip of her milkshake, a strange and yet utterly delightful human concoction that Jake had introduced to her when they got tired of people-watching on the mezzanine and went to go sit in Quark's. She had decided, with Jake's input, to get a swirl of chocolate and vanilla. Jake had gotten a peanut butter and banana one, which he had let her try because she had never heard of either Earth flavor before. It took all her self-control not to spit it out immediately.

Ziyal downs her chocolate-vanilla mouthful as she tries to come up with an answer to his question.

"Well, um. I guess I don't really know."

"What? How can you not know?"

"I just… don't."

"What do you in your free time, then?"

"Sleep, mostly," Ziyal says, willing herself not to think too much of the mining camp. "When I was with my father I would read if I got really bored."

"That's a start! What did you read?"

She makes a face. "Cardassian repetitive epics. It was all my father had lying around."

"What about before you were with your father?"

Ziyal desperately wants to tell him, but the words won't come. She presses her mouth into a line instead, toying with the cold metal straw, swirling the contents of her shake until it's all one indistinct blob.

"I'm sorry I asked," Jake says softly.

"No, don't be," says Ziyal, shaking her head. "It's just that. I find it… hard. To know what to say. About that time."

"Hey, I get it. I’ve gotta level up a few more times before I unlock the tragic backstory. It's only natural."

A shaky laugh escapes Ziyal before she even senses it's there.

" _What?_ "

Jake eyes her over the rim of his glass.

"Don't tell me you've never played a hologame before!"

"I might have! If I did it was just a long time ago, that's all."

"Oh, I know _exactly_ what we're doing next."

Ziyal sees the opportunity and takes it, making it her turn to throw a playful sidelong glance at him over her own milkshake glass.

"I wasn't aware we had _plans._ "

Jake stutters, taken aback. "I only meant-- that is, if you _want_ to keep hanging out, I, I didn't mean—"

This time, Ziyal can feel the laughter coming from lightyears away.

"Jake! I'm only joking. We can definitely keep hanging out. I'd like that a lot, actually."

"Oh, that's… that's good, then."

Jake's wrist chronometer chirps at him and he immediately leaps up from his seat upon noting the time.

"Shit! I mean… Sorry! I totally lost track of the time! My dad'll be waiting on me for dinner. But we can hang again soon, right?"

Ziyal nods. "And you can show me a hologame."

"That's pretty much what I had in mind."

"Consider it a _plan,_ then."

"Yeah. It's a plan," says Jake, breaking into a wide grin. “Mark my words, Ziyal, we’re going to make a gamer out of you yet!”


End file.
